and that Knolles could not return to England till he had purchased the royal favour by a large sum of money (Walsingham, i. 310). This is confirmed by the articles of accusation against William, fourth lord Latimer [q. v.] in 1377, which charged him with having embezzled four-fifths of a fine of ten thousand marks sent to the king by Knolles (Chron. Angliæ, p. 78).
Knolles remained some years in Brittany to support John de Montfort. By 1373 Charles V had won over to the French side all the barons of the duchy except Knolles, and when John de Montfort went to England in that year he left Knolles as his lieutenant. Knolles went to Brest, leaving Derval in charge of his cousin, Sir Hugh Browe. In the summer Du Guesclin laid siege to Derval and Oliver de Clisson to Brest. Browe, soon reduced to extremities, gave hostages for the surrender of the castle if not relieved by a sufficient force within forty days; the time seems to have been afterwards prolonged. Knolles learnt of his straits through a spy, and by promising to surrender Brest if not relieved within one month by a force which could fight the French, induced De Clisson to raise the siege on 9 July. Knolles left Brest, and succeeded in entering Derval with a small following. When he arrived at Derval, Knolles disavowed the action of his lieutenant, Browe, and declared the agreement for the capitulation void. Thereupon Louis, duke of Anjou, who was now in command of the French, had Browe's hostages executed on 30 Sept. Knolles at once retaliated by beheading an equal number of prisoners, and throwing their bodies over the castle walls. These acts of cruelty seem to have been regarded as indefensible, but Knolles gained his object, for the French raised the siege of Derval (Froissart, viii. 123–48, 158–60, and M. Luce's notes on pp. lxxx and xciii; Chron. du Duc Louis de Bourbon, pp. 45, 47).
Knolles appears to have returned to England, and, probably towards the end of 1374, was sent with an expedition to Aquitaine; but after recapturing a number of places from the French, and among them Niort, he came home without securing any permanent advantage (ib. p. 74; Eulog. Hist. iii. 339). On 28 Nov. 1376 he was one of the conservators of the truce with France (Fœdera, iii. 1066). In 1377 he was one of the commanders of the fleet who were sent to attack the Spaniards at Sluys (Walsingham, i. 344). Next year he was again captain of Brest, and while there defeated the Bretons (ib. i. 365; Fœdera, iii. pt. iii. p. 77). In April he left Brest for England, and at Whitsuntide was with the Earl of Arundel when he attacked the French outside Harfleur (Chron. des Quatre Valois, p. 263). He then joined the Duke of Lancaster at the siege of St. Malo, and in company with Sir Hugh Browe plundered the neighbouring country. In 1379 Knolles was with John de Montfort in London, and in July returned with him to Vannes (Froissart, vii. 275–6, ed. Buchon). Next year Knolles took part in the great expedition under Thomas, earl of Buckingham [see Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester], which, landing at Calais early in July, marched through Artois, Vermandois, and Champagne, and eventually descended the valley of the Loire to Brittany. When near Vendôme Knolles's detachment had a skirmish, in which Knolles defeated the French leader, the Sire de Mauvoisin, and with his own hand took him prisoner. Buckingham established himself at Rennes, but John de Montfort was already wavering, and it was only after a mission in which Knolles took part that matters were for the time arranged. At the end of October the English laid siege to Nantes; Knolles was stationed with Thomas Percy at St. Nicholas's Gate, and his valour alone saved the English from defeat on 12 Nov. John de Montfort was negotiating with the French, and did not act heartily with his English allies, who were thus compelled to raise the siege on 2 Jan. 1381. Buckingham retired to Vannes, and Knolles went with Sir Hugh Calveley to Quimper Corentin, whence they probably returned with Buckingham to England in the following April (ib. vii. 316–428; Walsingham, i. 444–5).
At the time of Wat Tyler's rebellion in July 1381 Knolles was residing in London, and guarded his treasure with 120 companions ready armed. After the murder of the archbishop in the Tower, the citizens put themselves under the leadership of Knolles. Knolles rode out with the king to Smithfield. When Richard asked him whether Tyler's followers should be massacred, he replied, ‘No, my lord; many of these poor wretches are here against their will;’ then, turning to the crowd, he bade them disperse on pain of death if found in the city after night. This is the account given in the ‘Eulogium Historiarum’ (iii. 353–4). Froissart transposes the parts taken by the king and Knolles, and says the latter was angry because Richard would not permit him to adopt violent measures (viii. 36, 55–7, ed. Buchon). The Londoners rewarded Knolles's services with the freedom of their city, and the king by the grant of the manor of St. Pancras to him and his wife (Blomefield, vi. 174).
